Patience friend or foe!

Definitely trying to do this!!!

Yeah! Yeah!!!!     I won't go into a description of my attitude at this moment....lets just say I am dying to get back and do some blogging. At the moment I am just a bit fed up of patience...in fact I could even tell patience just where it could go....but I remind myself I am still in control ...and good things come to those who wait!!!   

keep well

Amanda :-)

The Sixteen

After 16 I really do not want to have to make anymore in fact I feel somewhat chick saturated.  Nevertheless I have to admit I really enjoyed making them and I found that I was giving some of them names even. They looked back at me and seemed to say I am Big Sister and I am Rooster or I am Punkie Chick and me Stroppy Anne :-). Therefore,names they were given!

These photos were taken at what I thought was the completion of them all until I realised during the recount of my pupils and students in my Tweens and young adults class that I had left someone out and there were 16 to make for and not 15 in all. Hence the photo of the last one being hastily made. 

No pink one...sorry Willie! However the forgotten one,the very last one was given pink eyes :-)

The original pattern comes from Sarah at Repeat Crafter Me . As usual I tweaked it here and there to suit my own ideas for the chicks. I gave the egg shell more of a ragged edge and the little roosters were really my own pattern. I also added some piercing! 
I used DK bits from my stash and used a 4,50 hook on the big chicks and a 3.50 hook for the egg shells. I used Katia Capri cotton (again from my stash)for the Roosters and a 3.00 hook and red embroidery silk for crest and tail.
They have all been given out and I believe everyone was delighted. As the Roosters for the boys were attached to key rings the boys instantly hung them on their school bags.

Time has gone by and I think it must have been last November when Busy Little Chicken blog mentioned to me that she would like to have more followers and wasn't sure about how to go about it. At that time I said I would give her a mention on my next post indicating her request.

 I forgot!!!! So very sorry Busy Little Chicken!!!

Here it is now. Please pop over to visit Busy Little Chicken who is really keen to contact other Crafty bloggers and could you share her blog with your Crafty bloggers too.  

Punkie Chick

Stroppy Anne

Big Sister

Rooster

Have a great day!!!

Amanda :-)

cheep! cheep!

One down 14 to go!!!

Will tell you more in my next post :-)

She's fuzzy looking because I have brushed her to look soft and furry :-)

keep well

Amanda :-)

Powerfully cosy!

 All finished,blocked and bobbles brushed! 



Finally ....
I have finished the shawl I mentioned in my previous post . I am quite pleased with it and more so because I have been able to use up lots of "bits and bobs" from my stash. A real stash buster!!!!
This first photo shows the real colours. I'm afraid the other photos which I took in another part of the house make it look rather orangey but it is definitely predominately green.




 


What Yarn did I use?   All sorts! As I said "bits and bobs" in fact I think I will call it my B&B shawl.
The pattern is from Esther Sandrof and I found it on Ravelry,"The Stashbuster Blarf".  A delight to crochet!


 


 My version is bigger because I just flung myself into the making of it eager to get on with it and I didn't really pay attention to measurements; so it is big! When I was blocking it I had to be careful not to stretch it too much so as not to make it any bigger.

 Big,warm and cosy!


 


I also made up my own edging and the bobbles to add fluffiness. Why the bobbles?  I am not sure really I just fancied a bit of something frivolous. I am planning to use those type of bobbles again because they were fun to make!




The negative side of the B&B shawl. Unfortunately I can't see myself using it not in this climate even in winter. As my heading here implies it is powerfully cosy ...........and warm!!!

keep well

Amanda :-)

Lurking

It sounds rather ominous, doesn't it?    Lurking I mean!

Well I seem to be a fully fledged lurker now. Why?  Well I am still a presence in blogland but as a lurker...bopping from blog to blog,reading lots but rarely posting. 
It is the same old chant.. no time!!!
 At this moment I am waiting to receive a return call from the organiser of a course being held in the Chamber of Commerce here starting next week. Why is it when they say I'll call you back in a minute the minute stretches to 30 minutes!!!  GRR!!!   My time is valuable!!   I know it sounds rather like a cliche but unfortunately we live in a society where time is predominant! The influence of time in my life is so marked that I organise my working day to the minute and when I get this useless waiting around it upsets me!!  
Pretty awful isn't it?  I know I am not alone!  I am sure many out there know what I mean. Sometimes I wish I could do a Gauguin and leg it to the South Pacific to live.

OK!! on second thoughts not so useless waste of time as I am able to write up this post...la..di..da!!!

What has been going on since I last posted which was the end of December......so long!
Here in the city and the province: Cold...snow...storms...cold and snow more or less in that order. As always no snow in the city but getting to the mountain towns has been difficult.  It has been very cold unusually so.  When I say unusually cold I mean so cold I dug out my gloves which I haven't worn since I went to home to the UK in November 1999.

Castalla,in the mountains

Snow angel

This is one of my students who sent this photo to me last weekend. That was also taken in the mountains. 
 Today it is all about the wind which is really fierce.

I've been crocheting of course practically nothing will stop me doing that.  I have made a massive shawl which I can't see myself wearing very much because it is rather heavy. I started it during the cold spell and thought I needed something really warm.  I still have to block it so no photo as yet.

Keep well

Amanda :-)

Dear all

 Dear all:



               Where words fail music speaks!!!
 


The stirring beauty of this song is what I wish for all my blog friends throughout this New Year 2017.  
                        HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Amanda xxx

On your marks...get set...ready....go!

So much to do and so little time to do it!!!      It is a race against time :-)

First stage of Christmas Day meal prepared. Placed in fridge to marinate for 24 hours:

It will eventually be an Orange,Grapes & Rosemary Roast Duck!

A few handmade extras to go with the pressies under the tree. I didn't think I'd get them done on time but there you are and with a day to spare!

for Cookie Baby: A Pom Pom square hat & Cowl set:

I love the back of this hat!      One of my students modelled it for me. Thank you so much L :-)

Self sustaining pot of violets for daughter Nº 1:

Bit of a family joke this.....at least they won't shrivel up and die for lack of water!!!!!

and tomorrow,Christmas Eve, on to the baking for the big family dinner at my sister-in-law's villa.  I usually deal with the baking side of it.  I am thinking carrot & walnut cake with a cream cheese topping,a Bakewell Tart and some Jam tarts. They really love the jam tarts....so simple!                        

I think there will be about 25 or 30 of us this year counting the children.  The tradition here is a big meal ,all the family together, lots of carol singing,lots of discussions and talking about religion or politics is prohibited!!!!  Right ....which they stick to at the beginning but by the time we get to the coffee and champagne that rule is easily forgotten!

 Each child is given aguinaldo from all the adult members of the family on Christmas Eve.This is a Christmas gift....a Christmas pocket money gift! 

Sr P went to the bank purposely this morning to get change so he has exactly the right number of Euro notes to give to each child. Each child must receive exactly the same amount of money. I am sure you can imagine why!   If you want everyone to be happy you make sure you do not give big brother more than little brother.

Dear Blog friends       

A very.......

to you all

xxx

Amanda :-)

Over a mug of tea!

Totally horrified to see that over a month has whizzed by since my last post!!!!

I am still blogging...sort of!!!
I lurk a lot on other blogs to read what you are all up to. Great activity while sipping my early morning tea..

I will be posting a real post very very soon.......Christmas break very soon ...sigh!!!!

I do agree with this just difficult to not overdo the work bit!

Keep well

Amanda :-)

Five Kilometers !!!!

Dia de todo los Santos fiesta day today "All Saints Day"


 A special day for the Spanish. The morning is taken up with visiting their loved ones at the local cemetery with the family. A day to clean up the niches or graves and place fresh flowers;a day to remember.

ALICANTE Cemetery

Taking advantage of the fiesta day today we've been out for a long walk down to El Palmeral park. That's five kilometers in all ....not bad I thought as I just can't walk much at all during the week.
 I'm lucky if I can get out for a thirty mins walk around the block.
No matter though I made up for it today! I am also "chuffed" that I have lost 5 kilos over 4 weeks. It isn't a "wow" loss but it is something ...just fifteen kilos more to go.    

My doctor wasn't very happy with my high cholesterol count at the beginning of October and wanted to put me on  medication. I don't like medicine...I don't want to constantly stuff my body with chemical stuff!!!  It is bad enough I have to take a tablet a day for the rest of my life due to hypothyroidism so I really do not want to have to take another for something else as well. Anyhow the doctor,at my request, has given me a reprieve for six weeks to see if  I can get the high cholesterol down via a low-cholesterol diet. I am taking that diet very seriously and mean to batter that HC well down and at the same time get my weight down too. I need to get rid of twenty kilos ,,,,no fifteen now....gosh! that sounds nice !!!!   I know the weight loss objective will take longer than six weeks of course! I certainly wish I could get rid of 20 kilos in six weeks but I know I have to go slower than that.

The Palm Grove Park,San Gabriel,Alicante

A few photos taken this morning at the park.

Anyone know what this plant is called?  I have never seen one like this before!

keep well

Amanda :-)

Practically Biblical

The countryside around Agost, the pottery village.

I was going through my photo files on my computer this weekend to reduce the size of the main folder as it is pretty large. It is an enjoyable but difficult task as I find I am reluctant to delete photos but some are really just repeat shots at a different angle so they have to go!!!  As I said an enjoyable task as I frequently pause because some photos make me reminisce. In fact I rarely finish the task!

Such was the case here ......hence these photos.
When the beach is out of the question....yes it does get cold in Spain. I say this because people have commented to me before now that they thought Spain was hot all the year round!!
Well it "ain't"!!
It gets cold here!!!

We do have long summers and relatively mild winters; January and February are usually colder. We then transfer our Sunday outings to going up into the mountains for a ramble.

This was one such ramble last winter up to the mountains behind the village of Agost.

olive and almond trees

I always find that this particular part of the Agost countryside reminds me of biblical scenes:

Someone lives here!   There is a Via Pecuaria ( King's Highway) which runs all the way through this person's land which means he/she has to allow access to the public.

Oh! dear Sr P saw something!!!!

Naughty! Naughty!!   pinching a few almonds !!!
and we had a little snack on our way back down to the village! :-)

Agost Pottery Kiln

keep well

Amanda :-)